I’m just wondering, why can’t we have mixed belts like the Falcon with the APDS, with that we could carry full belt with the APDS for Anti Airs like Chieftain Marksman or Gepard.
I know people can still work with only 40 rounds but I’m just wondering. Maybe would move most of them up BR, just maybe, like, in a superficial point of view, this would be the most common solution for a future problem of 35mm Oerlikon spam.
The manufacturer doesn’t condone APDS ran through the main belt, and no military has tried.
I’d be willing to bet that it has something to do with barrel wear if it’s not a hard limitation on the feeding.
Anti-air rounds are lower-power rounds that don’t eat away at barrel lining as much as high-powered sub-caliber rounds do.
Once FAPDS came online, it was the sole ammunition carried in the main belt (cant mix with full caliber because of the difference in velocity) and for all feeding and barrel wear purposes its identical with the APDS-T
Wouldn’t that be loaded into the same compartment as APDS rather than the general belt?
Granted, no matter the answer we’ll be speculating on many factors outside this if this does continue.
nope, the FAPDS is primarily designed against aircraft, which would not make any sense in the air-ground compartment
The Gepard was designed to counter AIR (API, HEI), with a very limited amount of Ground ammo (APDS).
I think i all has to do with Max effect on Target:
if you look at the different ammo types:
HE-I, will perforate thin skinned targets, and has a lot of HE compared to the other rounds.
rounds goes for max damage just behind the skin 0.1 m;
API, can penetrate more armored targets while keeping burst charge for schrapnel effect, ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters often have armor, and need more persuasion;
APDS, almost double the penetration of API, but no HE charge. this round was intended for close in defense against ground targets. In a SPAAG’s case that would me lightly armored vehicles operating behind te lines, never meant to combat MBT’s.
Against air a 50/50 mix of HEI & API, HEI would be effective against lighter targets, while API would handle the better armored AIR foes. APDS if used against AIR would in best case when hitting an engine do damage, against a wing, it would most likely create a 35mm hole.
When mixing it in with the belt of AIR ammo, the APDS is faster 225 m/s faster so in theory can overtake the other two when fired. Can for sure have an impact in the leading of the guns, it would either pass in front of the target and the others would hit or it would hit and the others would pass behind the target.
APDS on the Flacon is “only” 95 m/s faster then the other munitions, maybe this helps or GBR wanted mixed belt from the start.
